Developing an HIV and Faith Ambassador Program in North Carolina

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Community Health
• Health Disparities

Background:

• HIV stigma remains a significant barrier to care within African American communities.
• Faith communities are central to the social fabric of many African American populations.
• Engaging faith leaders is a promising strategy to address stigma and promote health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development of the HIV & Faith Ambassadors Program.
• To cultivate a cohort of Black faith leaders/communities and Black medical providers.
• To address HIV-related stigma in African American faith communities in North Carolina.

Main Methods:

• Program development and implementation.
• Recruitment and training of faith leaders and medical providers.
• Community-based participatory approaches.

Main Results:

• Successful development of a program framework.
• Establishment of a cohort of trained ambassadors.
• Initiation of efforts to reduce HIV stigma.

Conclusions:

• The HIV & Faith Ambassadors Program provides a model for engaging faith communities in HIV prevention and stigma reduction.
• Collaboration between faith leaders and medical providers is crucial for addressing health disparities.
• This initiative has the potential to foster more inclusive and supportive environments within African American faith communities.